Thomas Marzetta
University of Maryland, MD·Engineering
Wireless networks need ever-higher data rates, and regulators are opening a new block of radio spectrum from 7 to 24 GHz, called the upper mid-band, to meet that demand. Using this spectrum well requires adaptive antenna arrays: groups of antennas that steer signals in chosen directions.
- Fields
Engineering
Mathematics & Statistics
Physics
- Topics
wireless communications
ultra-wideband
true time delay beamforming
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jan 2030
What they work on
- Develop true time delay (TTD) beamforming methods, which steer signals with time delays instead of phase shifts, for ultra-wideband antenna arrays covering the 7–24 GHz upper mid-band, using the Radon transform as the mathematical framework.
- Analyze and optimize aperiodic (irregularly spaced) antenna arrays for ultra-wideband operation using Radon transform tools.
- Test driving antennas with high-impedance current sources and reading open-circuit voltages instead of impedance matching, and demonstrate the approach in experimental prototypes.
More about the research
Steering reduces interference, extends range and lowers transmit power. Today's phased arrays, however, work only over narrow frequency ranges. They would split the upper mid-band into three or four pieces, each needing its own array. This project aims to build a single array that covers the whole band.
Why it matters
A single antenna array covering the whole 7–24 GHz band could let wireless carriers and equipment makers use newly released spectrum more efficiently. It may give consumers faster data, with less interference and lower transmit power. The same arrays could also provide radio-based sensing.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Subhanshu Gupta
Washington State University, WA·Engineering
Use the frequency-dependent beams of true-time-delay arrays to cut beam-training overhead, and design a low-latency protocol that trains beams and estimates interference at the same time in dense millimeter-wave networks.
Robert Heath
University of California-San Diego, CA·Engineering
Build MIMO input-output models of dynamic metasurface antennas (low-power panels of tunable elements) that capture waveguide loss, coupling between elements and reconfiguration effects, using existing circuit and antenna models.
Mingjie Lin
University of Central Florida, FL·Engineering
Design a dual-input hybrid load modulated balanced amplifier (DI-HLMBA), a reconfigurable radio power amplifier, that delivers high efficiency, bandwidth and linearity in massive MIMO transmitters.
The school
University of Maryland: 49 labs on PI Pages, $1.5B a year on research, 602 research doctorates a year.
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